Tire and rim assembly



April 5 19498 R. 6 LE 'TOU RNEAU ,4

TIRE AND RIM ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 24, 1945 a INVENTOR.

1 10 BY I.

April 5, R949. R. G. LE TOURNEAU 2,463,449

TIRE AND RIM ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 24, 1945 r JNVENTOR. IR. GL5 Tau??? eau Patented Apr. 5, 1949 TIRE AND RIM ASSEMBLY Robert G.Le Tourneau, Peoria, 111., assignor to R. G. Le Tourneau, Inc.,Stockton, Calif., a corporation of California Application November 24,1945, Serial No. 630,631

This invention is directed in general to an improved tire and wheel rimassembly.

One feature of this invention is to provide a novel tire and wheel rimassembly especially designed for large pneumatic tires such as areused'i-z.

bottom surfaces of said beads converging inwardly from their outeredges; the rim converging inwardly from its outer edges to its centerline for matching frictional engagement by said bottom surfaces of saidtire beads, whereby at low tire pressures the tire beads tend toseparate and maintain positive frictional and non-slippin engagementwith the bead flanges on opposite sides ,of said rim.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tire and wheel rimassembly wherein the rim is comprised of initially separate,circumferential 1 Claim. (Cl. 152-410) rim halves or sections, onesection being fixed to the Wheel and the other section being detachablylocked in complementary relation to said one section by a novel lockingunit; the advantage of the separate rim sections residing in ease ofassembly of the rim with the heavy-duty tire with which said rim isadapted to be used.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple .andinexpensive tire and rim assembly, and. yet one which will beexceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claim.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

Figure l is a side elevation of the rim assembly without a tire thereon.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing thetire and rim assembly with the sectional rim in locked position.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing theposition of one of the c-clamps as used in connection with the sectionalrim to assemble or disassemble the same.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross section on line l-4 of Fig. 1 showing themanner in which the locking ring is unseated or removed from theassembly when the rim sections are in the position shown in Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the numeral I indicates a steel disc wheel formed with acenter, wheel hub receiving hole 2, with a row of circumferentiallyspaced bolt holes 3- thereabout for the reception of the bolts whichsecure the wheel to the wheel hub.

At the periphery the wheel I is formed with a sectional rim whichcomprises a pair of separate circumferential rim halves or sections,indicated at 4 and 5. The rim section 4 is fixed at its inner edgeportion in connection with the periphery of the disc wheel I.

The other rim section 5 remains separate from the rim section 4 and isadapted to be held in complementary relation thereto by means of thefollowing arrangement:

An annular locking flange 6 is fixed on the wheel I adjacent but shortof its periphery and projects laterally from said wheel inwardly of therim section 5 in adjacent but spaced concen tric relation. Directlyoutwardly of the annular locking flange 6 the rim section 5 is providedwith a fixed annular locking shoulder l which projects toward andnormally into engagement with the annular locking flange 6. The annularlocking flange 6 is formed, on its outer face, with an annular V-shapedchannel 8, and the annular locking shoulder 1 includes a circumferentialabutment face 9 disposed in parallel relation to the axially outermostface of the V-channel 8.

A split locking ring 10, which is square in cross section, normallyseats in the V-channel 8 and is engaged on its adjacent top side by theabutment face 9 of the annular locking shoulder 1,

whereby to prevent laterally outward movement of said shoulder relativeto the flange 6 so that the rim section 5 cannot then separate, axiallyof. the wheel, from the fixed rim section 4. In this locked position,the locking ring ID is held against escape from the V-channel 8 by anoverhanging circumferential lip II on the annular locking shoulder I.

When the sectional rim is assembled and locked together, as above, thetire I2 seats in said rim in the manner shown in Fig. 2. The tire I2 isformed with opposed, relatively wide tire beads 13; the bottom surfacesH! of which converge radially inwardly from their axially outer edges,and the corresponding rim sections 4 and 5 converge radially inwardlyfor matching frictional 3 engagement with said beads. The beads arelimited in their lateral outward movement on the rim sections 4 and 5 bybead flanges, indicated at [5 and I6, respectively.

By reason of the convergence of the bottom surfaces M of the tire beadsl3, and the matching convergence of the rim sections 4 and 5, the tirebeads l3 tend to separate relative to each other and maintain positivefrictional contact with the bead flanges l5 and [5, even though the tiremay be running at a relatively low pressure. As a consequence there isno slippage between the tire and the rim.

The bead flange I5 is an integral part of the rim section 4, but thebead flange I6 is initially separate from and is movable axially of therim toward the center of the latter by means of adjustment screws l1threaded through an annular shoulder l8 fixed on the outer edge of therim section 5. The movable bead flange l6 normally abuts against theinner side of the annular shoulder l8, but when it is desired to removea tire from the rim the screws I! are run in until said bead flange I6is forced inwardly so as to break or free the corresponding bead l3 fromthe rim section 5.

After the corresponding tire bead [3 has been freed from the rim section5 the latter is unlocked from the wheel as follows:

At one point in the circumference thereof the annular locking flange Bis formed with a relatively short gap l9 therein, and a cross bar 20 isfixed in connection with adjacent end portions of said flange 6 on theinside and extends across said gap. The cross bar 20 thus forms afulcrum disposed in a plane some distance radially inwardly of the splitlocking ring I0.

A plurality of c-clamps 2| are engaged through circumferentially spacedports 22 formed in the wheel I radially inwardly of the locking flange6, said C-clamps engaging between the wheel I and a fixed clamping ring23 on the bottom of the rim section 5 intermediate its edges. When thec-clamps 2| are tightened, the rim section 5, which is normally somewhatspaced from the rim section 4, is moved inwardly into engagementtherewith in the manner shown in Fig. 3. This retracts the annularlocking shoulder 1, together with the overhanging lip H, from the splitlooking ring H].

A pry bar 24 is then engaged over the cross bar or fulcrum 20 andbeneath the split locking ring l-ll, so that manipulation of said prybar 24 snaps said ring out of the V-channel 8. With the ring l thusremoved, the rim section is free of the rim section 4 and can bewithdrawn from the tire l2. After withdrawal of the rim section 5, thetire can then be freed and withdrawn from the rim section 4.

To reassemble the rim with a tire thereon the above described procedureis merely reversed.

The tire and wheel rim assembly as abovedescribed is very useful andpractical for large industrial and heavy-duty tires, such as are used onconstruction and earth moving equipment, and

which tires are very diflicult to mount on conventional rims. Not onlydoes the described rim structure provide for easy mounting ordismounting of tires but, as heretofore explained, permits the tires tobe run at low pressure, with increased flotation, without the tireslipping on the rim. This latter feature is extremely desirable.

In order to prevent possible relative rotation of rim sections 4 and 5,they are provided with cooperating sets of driving lugs 25. Similarcooperating sets of driving lugs 26 are provided between rim section 5and bead flange IE to prevent relative rotative movement thereof withoutinterfering with axial shifting movement.

From the foregoing description it will be readlly seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations therefrommay be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of theinvention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new anduseful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

In combination with a wheel of the disc type, a sectional rim comprisingtwo complementary half sections, one rim section being fixed rigidly tothe wheel and its inner edge terminating adjacent one face of the wheel,such one rim section being adapted to support one bead of a tire in itsentirety, an annular locking flange fixed to said one face of the wheeladjacent to but short of the periphery of the wheel, said locking flangebeing provided with an annular groove in its outer circumference, theother rim section being adapted to support the other bead of a tire inits entirety, an annular locking shoulder'on the under face of saidother rim section adjacent its inner edge, said locking shoulderoverhanging the locking flange on the wheel and resting thereon, and alocking ring adapted to be seated in said groove and project therefromin engagement with said locking shoulder.

ROBERT G. LE TOURNEAU.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Neary Jan. 10, 1905 Budd Mar. 10, 1931Helvern Dec. .15, 1931 Born-don June 26, 1934 Bec'kman Sept. 19, 1939Yankee Oct. 22, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1937Number

